Honors Program

The IU South Bend Honors Program

The IU South Bend Honors Program offers motivated students the opportunity for an enriched and unique college experience.

The Honors Program is a community of students who are given an extraordinary chance to reach their full academic potential.

No matter what their professional or life goals may be, the Honors Program will work to make their college experience meaningful and one that constructs a strong foundation for the rest of their lives.

Video featuring Neovi Karakatsanis, Director, and several recent members of the Honors Program.

Program Benefits

The IU South Bend Honors Program offers many benefits ..

Honors Scholarships for all students

Attainment of the prestigious IU Honors Diploma in addition to a designation on one's permanent transcript that the student has completed programmatic requirements. The Honors Diploma will help students gain a competitive edge in employment and in professional graduate student applications.

Early Registration Privileges

Enrollment in small, discussion-based Honors Courses

Research Opportunities

Interaction with a supportive group of Honors peers (membership in the Honors Club)

Participation in Honors social events and travel opportunities

Opportunity to live in the Honors Living Learning Community at River Crossing

Use of the Honors Lounge (AI 160)

High School Seniors

If you have already received your letter of admission to the Honors Program and would like to be considered for Honors academic and housing scholarship awards, the current requirements are:

Cumulative GPA (CGPA) of 3.5 (or greater)

Combined Reading and Math SAT score of at least 1170; or an ACT composite score of 24

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I am worried that taking honors courses may be too much work or negatively impact my GPA. Why should I join the program and should I be overly concerned by the coursework?

A. As stated on the Benefits of the Program page, students receive scholarships, early registration privileges, and many other benefits. The program works to enrich its students’ college experiences and provide opportunities to help students reach their academic and professional goals. While the program does require some additional work, most students, who meet the application requirements and are admitted to the program, are more than capable of completing the work successfully. The benefits are many. Don’t be intimidated; the Program will work with each student to foster success.

There are several ways students can earn the credits required (18 hours) to receive an honors diploma.

These include the following:

all honors-designated courses (such as H100, H399, etc.)

any honors section of an existing course (such as the honors sections of intro to psychology, intro to microeconomics, etc.)

any course that has been “converted” by the student into an honors course can be counted towards the required 18 hours of credit.

To “convert” any course, eligible students must meet with the instructor of the course they would like to “convert” to seek the instructor’s approval. After receiving approval, students must complete an honors contract, which includes a brief description of the additional requirement(s) necessary to convert the course. The contract must then be signed by the instructor and student and should be returned by the student to the Honors Program by the end of the first week of classes. Contracts may be found on the Honors website or picked up in AI 164.

Students of Note

December 2017

Kaylee Lemert, B.S., Education

Kashay Murray, B.S., Criminal Justice

Susan Ward, Bachelor of Fine Arts

Julia (Zehner) Walsh, Bachelor of Fine Arts

Sophia Zovich, B.A., Mass Communications

May 2018

Katelyn Andrysiak-Begert, B.A., Psychology

Nargiza Amirova, B.A., English; and Women’s and Gender Studies

Katherine Arterbery, B.S., in Nursing

Desmond Atem, B.S., Nursing

Evelyn Batres, B.S., Business

Lindsay (Boussom) McCraner, Bachelor of Music Education

Zhane Chaffer, B.S., Business

Shelby Frick, B.S., Nursing

>Briauna Gaffney, B.A., Women’s and Gender Studies

Christine Hansen, B.S., Business

Sheree Harris, B.A., Psychology

Leah Klopfenstein, B.S., Criminal Justice

Jessica Martini, B.S., Dental Hygiene

Briannah McCall, B.A., Sustainability Studies

Raven Miller, B.A., Anthropology

Erica Morris, B.S., Dental Hygiene

Salima Fofana, B.S., Actuarial Science

Samuel Ratkiewicz, B.S., Biological Sciences

Faith Stull, B.A., Psychology

Andi Trowbridge, Bachelor of Social Work

Neal Warstler, Bachelor of Art Education

Taylor Wiley, B.S., Informatics

August 2018

Sergio Ortiz, B.S., Business

President | Kevin Schascheck

Vice President | Stephen Holmes

Treasurer | Jeffrey Yoder

Senator | Jesus Garcia

Senator | Emily Richardson

Senator | Kayla Isenbletter

Senator | Hilary Nicodemus

Jarek Allin

Nargiza Amirova

Evelyn Batres

Abigail Buiter

Lazhane Chaffer

Jacob Cryer

Savannah Dill

Benjamin Fager

Samantha Felton

David Flowers

Salima Fofana

Briauna Gaffney

Gabrielle Garver

Christine Hansen

Sherree Harris

Stephen Holmes

Danuta Kawecki

Leah Klopfenstein

Rachel Krause

Briannah McCall

Raven Miller

Analise Nedderman

Nga Nguyen

Sergio Ortiz Cardoso

Samuel Ratkiewicz

Morgan Rockhill

Kevin Schascheck

Caitlin Schulz

Faith Stull

Natalie Talic

Andi Trowbridge

Neal Warstler

Joyce Whiteman

Taylor Wiley

Dane Wysong

Romaric Zounlome

Paige Closson

Get connected

For announcements about events, campus information and more, follow the IU South Bend Honors Program on Facebook and Twitter.

Honors Club

Honors Club students at Cedar Point Amusement Park, May 2016

Students who work to maintain academic excellence now have a club on campus which allows them to meet other students, like themselves. All members of the Honors Program are admitted as members of the IU South Bend Honors Club.

The purpose of the Club is to provide students in the Program with a community of like-minded individuals as well as a social outlet for rest and relaxation. The Club serves to promote collaboration among its members and to encourage new student participation. It also encourages students to be involved on campus and within the local community. In short, the Club helps build relationships and social networks among some of the most highly motivated students and faculty on our campus—a benefit that will serve students well long into the future as they seek employment and admission to graduate and professional school programs.

As a group, club members have group study sessions, movie nights, pizza parties, and they take trips.

Honors students have taken all expense paid trips to the Art Institute in Chicago, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, as well to Washington DC. Club activities are very strongly encouraged and will contribute to a more fulfilling college experience.